Happy 4th of July! A few years ago I gave a lecture on Civil War Quilts. Flag quilts were very popular during and after the Civil War. We are so accustomed to seeing the flag with fifty stars. During the secession of many southern states, the number of stars on the American flag changed every few months. Both Union and Confederate flags reflected the divided state of our nation. Confederate flags underwent the greatest number of changes as the South searched for a new identity. One particular flag had so much white in the design, it was interpreted as a surrender flag! That one didn’t last very long. Here is one of the Confederate designs and the “Southern Cross” still used as a symbol of the south..